Post by davidf on Jul 12, 2017 11:56:04 GMT
Some hints and tips to make the most of your home theatre speaker package:
Do run the amplifier's auto set-up as a starting point. This initially sets distances and levels. You can tweak to your liking from there.
Double check crossover points and levels etc that the auto setup has calculated, in case anything odd has cropped up.
They're not always 100% reliable, although they tend to be much better now than early examples.
Measure the speaker's distances and double check them with the amplifier's findings. Adjust accordingly, as they're not always 100% correct or ideal.
The majority of centre speakers, even if they're supposed to be 'matching', should be set to small. Any centre that's not exactly the same as the left and right
front speakers, or isn't at least comparable in size and capability, should be set to small.
Try not to place surround speakers too near to you. Try and place them up above head height firing into the room, not pointing towards the listening
position. Positioning them higher than head height also tends to give your soundfield a better sense of height.
Try not to place surround speakers squarely into corners, as high frequencies will reflect off the side wall the speaker is next to.
In this instance, try and point them inwards into the room, either at 45 degrees or towards the centre of the room.
For small speaker systems, setting the crossover frequency higher will allow them to be played louder.
Just make sure the speaker is capable of this beforehand...
In speaker systems where all the speakers are different sizes, setting the crossover point at about 80Hz will force all speakers to concentrate on the
same frequency range, narrowing their tonal differences and giving a more believable and consistent soundstage.
Placing a slab or something very heavy on top of your subwoofer cuts down on cabinet movement when the sub is doing it's stuff, helping the sub sit much firmer. It's
driver can work far more efficiently and accurately if there's no cabinet movement. This will help (single driver) front firing and downward firing subs - in theory, no benefit should be gained with subwoofers using dual opposing drive units, as these tend to cancel out movement and vibrations.
In a room with a suspended floor, placing a slab underneath your subwoofer can help tighten up bass.
If your subwoofer is downward firing, a slab underneath it will stop you losing bass into the floor.
Bipole/dipole surround speakers have a wider dispersion than normal hi-fi loudspeakers, giving a more spacious rear effect to your soundstage. These try and recreate the bank of rear speakers that are situated down the side walls of cinemas.
If placing these speakers on your side walls, try and keep them away from the rear wall to reduce excessive reflection.
Using direct firing speakers won't spread the sound like bipole/dipole speakers, but will give more accurate effects placement. This is more in line with mixing/mastering studio, as they use direct firing speakers all round in order to place effects with better precision.
Your choice will be personal preference, and depend whether you're trying to recreate a cinema or what was heard in the studio.
If music is important to you, set up the front left and right in the same, careful way you would if it was a two-channel hi-fi system. Get music sounding as good as
you can in stereo - your whole AV system will benefit as a result.
If you have a large room, it may be worth investing in two subs. This will share the overall load, and even out the bass response in the room. Two subs
work more effortlessly than one, ensuring neither are pushed to their limits, giving greater headroom and reduced distortion.
Regards
davidf
Do run the amplifier's auto set-up as a starting point. This initially sets distances and levels. You can tweak to your liking from there.
Double check crossover points and levels etc that the auto setup has calculated, in case anything odd has cropped up.
They're not always 100% reliable, although they tend to be much better now than early examples.
Measure the speaker's distances and double check them with the amplifier's findings. Adjust accordingly, as they're not always 100% correct or ideal.
The majority of centre speakers, even if they're supposed to be 'matching', should be set to small. Any centre that's not exactly the same as the left and right
front speakers, or isn't at least comparable in size and capability, should be set to small.
Try not to place surround speakers too near to you. Try and place them up above head height firing into the room, not pointing towards the listening
position. Positioning them higher than head height also tends to give your soundfield a better sense of height.
Try not to place surround speakers squarely into corners, as high frequencies will reflect off the side wall the speaker is next to.
In this instance, try and point them inwards into the room, either at 45 degrees or towards the centre of the room.
For small speaker systems, setting the crossover frequency higher will allow them to be played louder.
Just make sure the speaker is capable of this beforehand...
In speaker systems where all the speakers are different sizes, setting the crossover point at about 80Hz will force all speakers to concentrate on the
same frequency range, narrowing their tonal differences and giving a more believable and consistent soundstage.
Placing a slab or something very heavy on top of your subwoofer cuts down on cabinet movement when the sub is doing it's stuff, helping the sub sit much firmer. It's
driver can work far more efficiently and accurately if there's no cabinet movement. This will help (single driver) front firing and downward firing subs - in theory, no benefit should be gained with subwoofers using dual opposing drive units, as these tend to cancel out movement and vibrations.
In a room with a suspended floor, placing a slab underneath your subwoofer can help tighten up bass.
If your subwoofer is downward firing, a slab underneath it will stop you losing bass into the floor.
Bipole/dipole surround speakers have a wider dispersion than normal hi-fi loudspeakers, giving a more spacious rear effect to your soundstage. These try and recreate the bank of rear speakers that are situated down the side walls of cinemas.
If placing these speakers on your side walls, try and keep them away from the rear wall to reduce excessive reflection.
Using direct firing speakers won't spread the sound like bipole/dipole speakers, but will give more accurate effects placement. This is more in line with mixing/mastering studio, as they use direct firing speakers all round in order to place effects with better precision.
Your choice will be personal preference, and depend whether you're trying to recreate a cinema or what was heard in the studio.
If music is important to you, set up the front left and right in the same, careful way you would if it was a two-channel hi-fi system. Get music sounding as good as
you can in stereo - your whole AV system will benefit as a result.
If you have a large room, it may be worth investing in two subs. This will share the overall load, and even out the bass response in the room. Two subs
work more effortlessly than one, ensuring neither are pushed to their limits, giving greater headroom and reduced distortion.
Regards
davidf